Spray painting machine



March 21, 1944.

Filed Nov. 14, 1941 I 3 Sheets-Sheet l Q Q F H Egg K K m N \Q N 5 I m N Q I I iffi INVENTOR G. P. Short mrm/wa March 21,1944. R SH RT 2,344,905.

SPRAY PAINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 14, 1941 5 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR G.P. Shari March 21, 1944. p SHORT SPRAY PAINTING LMACHINE 3 Shets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 14, 1941 INVENTOR GPShor 4.11 rd/uni:

ATTYS Patent ed Mar. 21, 1944 OFFICE SPRAY PAINTING MACHINE George P. Short, Tournapull, Ga... assignor to R. G. Le Tourneau, Inc., a corporation Application November 14, 1941, Serial No. 419,136

Claims.

This invention relates to spray painting machines, and particularly to a machine for simultaneously painting the inside and outside of hollow rotating members, such as gun shell casings, while such casings are rotatably supported in a horizontal position.

At present the machines used commercially for this purpose comprise a movable spray head adapted to be inserted into the shell and a battery of fixed spray heads to engage the exterior and butt end of the shell. Such an arrangement has certain objections, as the various external sprays overlap somewhat, giving an uneven appearance; all the spray heads have to be ad- .iusted exactly alike-which is practically impossible; and one head or the other is apt to get out of adjustment momentarily and fail to functionproperly. As a result, a considerable percentage of the shells as sprayed by such machines are rejected by the inspectors.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to avoid the above objectionable features by constructing the machine so that the exterior, including the relativelyfiat butt end, as well as the exterior of the shell, are thoroughly, simultaneously, and evenly sprayed with the use of two spray heads only.

Not only is the spray more evenly applied, but a considerable saving in paint results, since a single spray head now takes the place of the battery of heads previously used, and such single head is not in operation any longer than said battery.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly efiective for the pur= pose for which it is designed.

These objects 3 accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will hilly appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine showing the spray heads retracted.

' Figure 2 is a similar view showing the heads fully advanced and the exterior head tilted to spray the butt end oi the shell.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a modified form, mounting and control, of the tiltable spray head.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the mounting of the spray head supporting bracket and the trigger actuating unit.

Referring now more particularly to the char- 5;;

acters of reference on the drawings, the machine comprises a supporting carriage l slidable on a horizontal bar 2 mounted on the main framework 3 of the machine; said carriage being steadied in its travel by suitable means such as a roller 4 on the carriage engaging a frame-mounted rail 5 parallel to the bar 2. The shell supporting unit is disposed beyond the bar and comprises as usual driven supporting rollers 6, the shell S being mounted on rings 1 engaging the rollers and arranged so that the axis of the shell is above and parallel to the bar. The shell is pcsitioned so that its open tip end faces the bar.

Mounted on and projecting from the carriage toward and axially alined with the shell-is a rigid spray pipe it having a. spray head 9 on its outer end of a size to enter the shell at its tip end. Spray material is fed to the pipe at the carriage by flexible conduits ill, as usual.

Another bar ll extends parallel to and above the pipe 8 and bar 2 to a termination. beyond the head El, or so that it overhangs the shell when the head is fully retracted from the shell, as shown in Fig. 1. At its rear end the bar is mounted rigid with the carriage by depending members it spaced lengthwise of and secured on the carriage; the rear member being preferably provided with a hand grip llso that the carriage may be conveniently reciprocated along the bar 2. To prevent sagging or the upper bar it without making the same excessively heavy, said bar rides on a guide roller it mounted on the frame 3.

Pivotally mounted on a bracket l5 on the forward end of bar H is a depending spray head it, disposed radially oi the shell, the spray material being ted to said head through flexible conduits ii. The pivot it of the head it is horizontal and extends transversely of the movement of the carriage. A depending arm ill is mounted rigid with said head and is connected at its lower end to a rearwardly extending rod 20 which slides ireely through an eye 2| on the frame 3.. The rod has an adjustable stop 22 rearwardly of and incapable of passing through the eye. A spring 23 between the head It and the bracket l5 resists tilting of said head andnormally holds the same upright.

In operation the carriage is reciprocated once baclr and forth lengthwise of the shell, giving a two pass spraying to the. rotating shell, which is ample to properly coat the same. The stop 22 is so positioned as to engage the eye 2| before the head 9 is fully advanced, so that with further advance 0! said head 9 to its limit or travel into the shell, the head I fi'becomes tilted forwardly, and directs its spray against the butt end of the shell as shown in Fig.2.

In the above described structure, the tiltable spray head is equipped, as is common practice, with a spray valve, actuated by an air cylinder within the head. At the start of a spraying cycle, the operator turned on the air, which operated said air cylinder, which in turn actuated the tri ger of the spray head.

This arrangement, however, has a certain slight lag in operation, and for a more nearly instantaneous control of the paint flow, the structure shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is provided.

In this form of the structure, which is applied to th tlltable spray head, said head ita, of a standard type and having a spray control trigger 2a, is mounted on one side of an upstanding bracket plate 25. This plate is pivoted just rearwardly of the head on a stud 26 projecting later ally from bar it. The tilting rod a is connected to the bracket ahead of and below pivot 26, as shown at 271.

An upstanding link 28 engages under the trigger 2% as shown, and is connected at its upper end to the upper forwardly extending leg of a bellcrank 2d, the other leg of which depends from said upper leg. A pull rod 30 extends rearwardly from said other leg, and is pivoted at its rear end as at St to the adjacent end of a transverse lever 32 which extends across bar it and at its op.- posite end is pivoted on a horizontal bracket 33 secured on said bar. An operating rod 3 3 is connected to said lever intermediate its ends and extends thence substantially parallel to and adjacent bar it to a connection with a depending operating handle lever 35 mounted on bar it adjacent its rear end and depending for operation by the hand grasping the bar handle l3.

With this arrangement, the bar ii is moved back and forth through its desired stroke, and with such movement, the operation of the spray head 5611 is instantly controlled by manipulation of handle lever 35. The spray head becomes tilted as in the first described type when the bar is advanced a certain distance, and the operation of the trigger is not materially affected with such tilting due to the fact that the pivot 26 of the bracket is as close as possible to pivot 3| of the trigger control rod 30.

, From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced a, device such as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A spray painting machine comprising a carriage, means mounting the carriage for movement along a predetermined path, spaced supporting members rigid with and projecting from the carriage in the same direction and lengthwise of said path, spray heads mounted on the members at their outer end and disposed in spaced relation to each other, means mounting one head on its member for tilting movement, and means acting on said head to tilt the same when the carriage has moved a predetermined distance along its path.

2. A spray painting machine for use on work having opposed exterior and interior longitudinal surfaces and an exterior surface at one end disposed at an angle to said first named surfaces; said machine comprising, with a work support, a carriage disposed beyond the support and the other end of the work, means mounting th carriage for movement to and from the work lengthwise thereof, members rigid with the carriage and projecting therefrom toward the work in spaced apart relation to receive the longitudinal work surfaces therebetween, a spray head mounted on each member to spray said surfaces, means tiltably mounting the head for the exterior longitudinal surface in normally facing relation to the same and means acting on the head to tilt the same in the direction of the end surface of the work after a predetermined movement of the carriage.

3. A machine as in claim 2, in which the tiltable spray head is disposed further from the carriage than the other spray head.

4. A spray painting machine for spraying the interior and exterior of cylindrical hollow work open at one end and closed at the other, said machine including with means to support the work for rotation, a carriage disposed beyond the open end of the work, means mounting the carriage for movement parallel to the axis of the work, a spray pipe projecting rigidly from the carriage toward the work and disposed axially thereof, a spray head on the outer end of the pipe to enter the open end of the work, a supporting member rigid with the carriage and extending therefrom lengthwise of its direction of movement to overhang the work in spaced relation to the exterior thereof, a spray head at the outer end of said member facing the exterior of the work, means pivotally mounting th last named head on the member further from the carriagethan the first named head and for tilting movement toward the closed end of the work, means normally holding the head from tilting and means functioning to tilt said head upon advance of the carriage to an extent such that said last named head is moved beyond the closed end of the work.

5. A machine as in claim 4, in which said last named means comprises an arm rigid with the last named spray head substantially radial with the pivot thereof and projecting toward the work, a pull member projecting from the arm toward the carriage and normally movable with the carriage and spray head and stop means preventing further movement of the member at a predetermined point in the travel of the carriage.

6.-A spray painting machine including a spray head having a spray control trigger, a bar projecting from the head, means swingably mounting the head in connection with the bar for normal tilting movement relative thereto, means connected with the head to tilt the same, a trigger control handle mounted on the bar in spaced relation to the head, and connection means bea,s44,oos

another pull member, means between said other member and the trigger mounted in connection with the .head to actuate the trigger with a pull on said other member, and a pivot connection between said other member and the lever disposed substantially parallel to and adjacent said head pivotingmeans.

8. A spray painting machine comprising a carriage, means mounting the carriage for movement along a predetermined path, a supporting member rigid with and projecting from the carriage in the same direction and lengthwise of said path, a spray head mounted on said member at its outer end for tilting movement, and means acting on said head to tilt the samewhen the carriage has moved a predetermined distance along its path.

9. A spray painting machine for work having adjacent exterior surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, said machine comprising, with a work support, a spray head, a supporting member for said head, means mounting said supporting member for movement to dispose the head in predetermined positions relative to said surfaces or the work, means swingably moimting the head on said member, and means operative upon said movement of the member to swing the head and direct the same toward the corresponding suriace when the head occupies any one of said positions, said last named means including a spring operative to swing the head and direct the same toward one surface, and a pull rod operative to swing the head against the spring and direct said head toward the other surface.

10. A spray paintinginachine for work having adjacent exterior surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, said machine comprising, with a work support, a spray head, a supporting member for said head, means mounting said supporting member for movement to dispose the head in predetermined positidhs relative to said surfaces of the work, means swingably mounting the head on said member, and means operative upon said movement of the member to swing the head and direct the same toward the correspond- 20 in surface when the head occupies any one of said positions, said last named means including a spring operative to swing the head and direct the same toward one surface, and a pull rod operative to swing the head against the spring 25 and direct said head toward the other surface.

GEORGE P. SHORT. 

